Railway truck rocker centering device



Jan. 26, 1943. ,1. c. TRAVILLA, JR 2,309,264

RAILWAY TRUCK ROCKER GENTERING DEVICE Filed June 30, 1541 INVENTOR JAMES C. TRAVILLA, JR.

ATTORN EY Patented Jan. 26, 1943 RAILWAY TRUCK ROCKER CENTERING DEVICE James C. Travilla, Jr.,

Philadelphia,

Pa., assignor to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application June 30, 1941, Serial No. 400,454

2 Claims.

The invention relates to railway rolling stock and more particularly to lateral motion centering devices of the rocker type illustrated generally in W. E. Woodard Patent 1,060,222, issued April 29, 1913.

One object of the invention is to assure the maintenance of the assembly of the rocker with its seat and thereby avoid disengagement of the rocker due to unusual vertical movement of the supporting and supported structures, or due to the accumulation of dirt in the pocket for the rocker, or due to other causes.

Another object of the invention is to facilitate the lubrication of the bearing between the rocker and the rocker seat.

These and other detailed objects of the invention are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a top view of the cradle or rear portion of a locomotive frame and of a trailer truck pivoted to the main frame and supporting the rear end of the cradle through rocker bearings of the type referred to.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail vertical view and section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse section through the rocker and associated parts and end elevation of the same, the section portion being taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

The rear end portion I, or cradle, of the locomotive main frame includes a transverse member 2, each end of which forms a downwardly-facing pocket 3 for receiving a rocker 4 provided with laterally spaced trunnions 5 journalled in seats 6 in a rocker member 1 which, in turn, is mounted in an upwardly-facing pocket member 8 carried on the rear end of the truck frame 9.

The downwardly-facing, upwardly-converging surfaces I ll of pocket 3 are provided with depending lugs or teeth II received in registering openings I2 in the rocker. Rocker seat member I and pocket member 8 have bearing surfaces curved transversely of the cam faces I3 of the rocker so that seat member 6 and the rocker may tilt as a unit on the truck frame to fully accommodate relative vertical movement of the truck. and cradle about their common center plate I 4.

All of the above described construction corresponds generally to well-known features in common use.

Between trunnions 5 and cam faces E3 the rocker comprises spaced upright webs I5, and an inverted U-shaped strap I5 is inserted between webs I5 and overlies trunnions 5 with its legs extending downwardly alongside rocker seat 6 and held in place by a bolt It or other suitable securing means.

With this strap it will be impossible for the rocker to be dislodged from its seat member 6, when the rocker is tilted to an extreme position, such as indicated in broken lines at I9, and a simultaneous release of the rocker from its load, nor could the rocker be dislodged from the seat member by the accumulation of dirt in the pocket for the rocker in the truck frame. In previous arrangements, when dirt accumulates in the rocker pocket and the rocker swings laterally a substantial amount, the end portion of the rocker cam surface I3 will contact with dirt and tend to lift the rocker from its trunnion seat. At the same time the strap does not interfere with the free rocking action of the rocker which includes the elevation of one of the trunnions a substantial distance above its seat when the rocker is pivoting about the other trunnion.

It has been customary to provide a lubricant and waste receiving cavity in the rocker immediately above the trunnions, there being passages leading to the surfaces of the trunnions. The presence of strap I 6 would interfere with the upward extension of the walls of such a cavity and in the present structure the use of such a cavity for lubricant is eliminated by the provision of passageway 23 in the rocker having an inlet in the rear web I5 and an outlet in the bottom of the rocker where the lower trunnion faces converge. The inlet end of the rocker is provided with a pressure valve 2| of any convenient type such as in general use and whereby the passageway may be filled with lubricant or grease as is customary with pressure fittings.

The arrangement described overcomes the possibility of the rocker trunnions being disengaged from the trunnion seats and also provides for convenient lubrication of the interengaging faces of the trunnions and trunnion seats, thereby attaining the general objective stated in the introductory portion of the specification.

The details of construction described above are intended to be illustrative and may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of such modifications as come within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway truck centering device of the class described, a support member, a rocker including a trunnion portion seated on said support member and webs extending upwardly from said trunnion portion and spaced apart transversely of the plane of rocker movement, and an element secured to said support member and extending over said trunnion portion and between said webs to prevent accidental disassembly of said rocker and support member, at least one of the upright webs including a lubricant receiving passageway accessible from the exterior of the rocker and. leading to the seat for the trunnion portion at a point beneath the part of the securing element extending over said trunnion portion. 10

2; A railway truck centering device rocker having a trunnion portion adapted to be seated upon a support member, an upright portion, and a loadsupporting portion supported by said upright portion, there being a passageway for lubricant leading inwardly from the side of said upright portion and then downwardly through the wall of the rocker to the seat opposing surface of said trunnion portion.

JAMES C. TRAVILLA, J a. 

